Chapter 61 – Venturing Alone to the Court of Cannibals

“After today, General, you must distance yourself from me, at least on the surface and pretend we are not on good terms,” Shen Shilang bowed deeply to Wei Zhaoxian. “Your kindness, General, is something I will never forget in this lifetime.”

Shen Shilang performed three kowtows before Wei Zhaoxian.

Wei Zhaoxian accepted Shen Shilang’s gesture and helped him rise. “I can only agree to this in public; in private, I will still assist you.”

Shen Shilang stood with a faint smile. “I will certainly need your help, General.”

Hearing this, Wei Zhaoxian finally let out a sigh of relief, having worried Shen Shilang wouldn’t even let him help.

“General, this is where we part. The next time we meet may very well be in the imperial court,” Shen Shilang said with a smile.

Wei Zhaoxian could sense Shen Shilang’s confidence in passing the examinations. Indeed, with Shen Shilang’s talent, if he failed, there would be suspicions of foul play.

“I’ll see you off,” Wei Zhaoxian clarified, “only to the courtyard gate – I won’t show myself beyond that.”

Shen Shilang nodded, and left the mansion with Su Jinshi, carrying a small bundle on his back.

Wei Zhaoxian stopped at the entrance to his study courtyard, watching as Shen Shilang took his leave.

At the gate, Shen Shilang turned and bowed deeply once more.

Wei Zhaoxian’s eyes reddened as he waved, allowing Shen Shilang to depart.

While Wei Zhaoxian had initially saved Shen Shilang due to his lifelong bond with Shen Liangyu, over the years, their affection had grown independent of that initial connection. Now the child he had raised was venturing alone into the perilous court – how could Wei Zhaoxian not worry?

The mansion staff observed Shen Shilang leaving with his small bundle, but Wei Zhaoxian did not appear to see him off.

“Has the young master truly fallen out with the Wei family?”

“Wasn’t the General always fond of him? Why let him leave like this?”

“Could it be they’ve severed all ties?”

“Best not to speculate – the mansion has always forbidden talk about the young master.”

Seeing Shen Shilang depart alone, without even the respectful Steward Ning to bid him farewell, the scene seemed rather somber, eliciting sighs of pity.

After leaving the Wei mansion, Shen Shilang went directly to the carriage rental shop. He hitched the donkey cart he had reserved earlier and bought some roasted naan bread for provisions.

For Su Jin, this was her first glimpse of the world beyond Chong’an City. The road to the next town was barren, with sparse trees. The uneven, rocky ground beneath the cart caused it to jolt with every bump.

Shen Shilang had not taken the luxurious new clothes prepared for him at New Year. To maintain the facade of severing ties with the Wei family, his attire was intentionally plain cotton.

The cold wind penetrated the open sides of the donkey cart, reddening and numbing Shen Shilang’s hands gripping the reins.

Seeing this, Su Jinshi couldn’t bear it – those hands would soon need to wield a pen. She purchased gloves and a down jacket for him from her game shop.

Though the jacket was made of modern materials, its exterior retained the style of the Great Xi dynasty. The gloves were leather, matching the current fashions.

As Shen Shilang put on the gloves, his hands immediately felt warmer, though it would take time for the chill to fully dissipate.

What astonished him was the down jacket.

“What is this coat made of? It’s so light yet so warm,” he asked Su Jinshi.

“It’s filled with duck down. In my world, people wear these kinds of coats in winter, with either duck or goose down. They keep you warm even in the harshest northern climates,” Su Jinshi explained. “Since your bundle can’t hold much, wear this for now. Once we reach the capital, I’ll get you some warmer inner layers to pair with the jacket. You’ll wear less yet stay warmer than others.”

“This will make the exams much easier,” Su Jinshi mused, already thinking of ways to keep Shen Shilang’s hands warm without hindering his writing. The capital would still be cold in March, even with charcoal heating, the open exam rooms wouldn’t be well-insulated.

By now, Shen Shilang was fully convinced that Su Jinshi was not a ghost, but someone from another world. Everything she provided was truly extraordinary.

This filled Shen Shilang with greater joy. Humans and ghosts may travel different paths, but they were both human. The only barrier left was between their two worlds.

“Jinshi, how do you send these things to me?” Shen Shilang asked.

“Well… there’s something like a void marketplace,” Su Jinshi replied, unsure how to explain the concept of a “system” to him, but the idea of a void market made sense.

“I buy things for you in the marketplace, and they can be delivered directly,” she said.

“I see…” Shen Shilang murmured. “If items can be sent, then people… should be able to come through as well, right?”

Su Jinshi was increasingly desperate to appear before Shen Shilang in person. She was now convinced this was not merely a game – Shen Shilang’s world of Great Xi truly existed in another dimension.

Otherwise, how could there be no information about this game online, not even during beta testing? And the characters’ self-aware, natural responses were far beyond simple programming.

Su Jinshi felt more and more that “Record of Raising a Powerful Minister” was a medium connecting their two worlds.

Instead of answering immediately, she checked the game shop, eventually finding something called a “Portal.”

[Portal: Use to successfully meet the male lead.]

“Could this be the way?” Su Jinshi wondered. “There should be a method, I just can’t do it yet.”

“As long as there’s a way, that’s fine,” Shen Shilang smiled. “I’ll also think of something.”

Su Jinshi was curious what solutions Shen Shilang might devise, but he didn’t elaborate further.

As they drew nearer to the capital, they encountered more and more scholars heading there for the imperial examinations.

By nightfall, Shen Shilang had checked into an inn near the city.

“We’ll reach the capital tomorrow,” he told Su Jinshi.

The inn was filled with other examination candidates.

…